Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-02-24
Sic sm1led wear1lx.

e0eU lIulle WEeCcHeS.
YES; isn't this big hole I am darn
ings Boys do wear out their clothes
30 fast. You are home early from the
office"
"Yes. had an engagement at three
o'clock and did not care to go back.
May come in and have chat with
youP"
80, yes, IL you care to-" with her
quick smile, smile which her eyes be-
lied, and which always seemed to John
..made to order" She pulled forward
q chair without rising, and went on
with her darning again. II sit in here
because it's cool, and always do my
sewing afternoons; in the mornings
there is housework.''
It was shabby little parlor. seldom
used by the boarders, who were prin-
cipally gentlemen, and spent their
evenings out, if not in their own rooms.
A few tawdry decorations only en-
HANGED the shabbiness of the thread
bare carpet. dirty walls and ancient
lace curtains.
Clarice?" asked John, trying to forget
himself in some one else.
"Amusements, she repeated, push
| ing the curls of her forehead in puz-
| zled way. 30, yes; there is Mr..
Jones; he plays the piano; and once
Mr.. Aikens, the the elocution teacher,
read piece, and all the boarders came
| in"
John smiled, cycling the little maiden
| pityingly as she stitched away. She
looked up suddenly and caught his eye.
| 1--WE did not always keep boarders,
she said. proudly, reading something
| there she did not like. when 1 was
at school we were well off and had
| nice house; but mamma is widow
with eight children, you know, and 1
have to help her about the work"
"I know" said John, kindly, looking
at little Clarice with so much sympa-
thy that she quite warmed toward him,
and continued confidentially:
"Once I had Il beautiful time-that
was good while ago-a girl knew at
school hunted me up, wrote to me and
invited me to see her. 1t was in Phila-
delphia."
| Anu uiu you go!
| .'Ah, yes, and it was beautiful
time!" Then, her face falling, "but
had to come home. 1t was all over in
] three months"
| "Ah, that was hard" sympathetic
| ally.
Eyes, it was, Mr.. Rogers" taking
up another jacket and beginning on a
new hole. '"For they were rich, you
know, and it was quite like old times
their nice house and all-and then to
come back here-the noise and the
| children, and clearing up the rooms
it seemed worse after that. But per-
haps shouldn't have minded it if it
hadn't been for-there was something
worse than all that" continued Clarice,
working hard at the jacket with crimson
cheeks.
'Will you tell me about it?'' asked
John Rogers, very kindly, his honest
gray eyes softening. 1T does one good
! sometimes to tell ones troubles, and /
| am so much older than you
Clarice looked up, quite gratifeG at
this unexpected sympathy.
Il will tell You, Mr.. Rogers. 1t was
L
Harris-Harris Bell-and i was-so
| different there, at the parties L went to
with Fannie, that he thought / was
| pretty, and told me so. and said that
he loved me and wanted me to be his
wife. 1 had a pretty white dress, you
know" timidly, and glancing blush
ingly down at her present faded calico,
''and wore howers-and-yo can
scarcely understand it,
Eyes, l can understand it, said
John, noting the light in the brown
| eyes and the newly acquired color.
Tell me the rest, Clarice."
"And we were engaged-and could
scarcely believe it-but 1 was very
| happy. He was such handsome gen
tleman too, and so aristocratic, and l
did not mind the boarders; or any
| thing when | thought about Harris So
| at last he came here to see me; and he
saw mamma and the children, the
house and the boarders, and / can't
tell you how it was, but he was differ
ent. He didn't tell me he was changed,
| but he was restless, and it worried him,
and l saw he cared. I am proud, Mr.
Rogers, though we are poor now, and 1
broke it all up. 1t. wasn't the love 1
had dreamed of. L had read great
many novels, and l thought life was a
fairy tale, and love was beautiful. l
| always used to think: When some one
comes to love me I'll never be sad or
vexed any more; and Harris seemed
to me 60 be all 1 had wished for until
l saw the house and the boarders fretted
him. For l had dreamed of Il love that
would be ont of the common, and that
when l went away with my lover 1
thought l.. too, would be better, just
as he wished me to be. So told him,